How Sharp Are Your Eyes? Try These Fun Vision Tests

Seriously, how good is your vision? Ready to put your answer to the test?

You can find an internet test for just about everything these days. Ever wondered what your Briggs-Meyer personality type was? There’s a test for that. And if that’s not interesting, you can wander over to another corner of the internet to see which Twilight character you are.

But behind the fun, games, and yes, spam, there are some pretty interesting diagnostic exercises. Some sites have begun posting simple eye checks, often set up as videos, gifs, or games. We’re certainly not telling you that they’re all legitimate, but we’ve found a few that – while they’re no replacement for a full examination – can at least help you run a quick check on yourself from the comfort of your own home.

We’ll take you on a quick tour of some of the better ones we’ve seen and leave you with a little more knowledge about how your own eyes stack up.

Monroe or Einstein?

This quick video from AsapSCIENCE is quick check to see if you’re in dire need of glasses. It makes use of something called a hybrid image – in this case, one consisting of a mashup between Marilyn Monroe and Albert Einstein. You wouldn’t think those two would blend all that well together and normally they wouldn’t. However, AsapSCIENCE’s image marries a vague, “low spatial frequency” image of Monroe, essentially a blurred version of the original image, then overlaid it with the fine details of Einstein’s face.

Who do you see?

At distance, the image looks like Monroe. Bring it in closer and it looks like Einstein. This is because our eyes are great at picking up broad strokes at range and equally great at picking up smaller features up close. At least, that’s how healthy eyes work.

Some viewers are only ever just going to see Marilyn. On one hand, hey, plenty of them would probably prefer to see her anyway, but on the other, they probably need a new pair of glasses. Eyes incapable of focusing on fine detail, even up close, are probably starting to fade in terms of visual acuity. An updated pair of lenses, or a consistent eye exercise program, can address the problem, and hopefully get you seeing that familiar mustache once more.

Screen for AMD

Age-related macular degeneration is a serious and highly common eye disease for older individuals. AMD occurs when either protein deposits or abnormal blood vessels form in the eye. If left unchecked, both can cause severe damage to a person’s central field of vision, making day-to-day activities much more difficult. Even worse, AMD is irreversible, and while therapies to help compensate for AMD-related vision loss are being developed, they’re far from perfect.

The best way to avoid serious vision losses is to detect and treat AMD early. This can be far from easy, as the condition progresses very, very slowly. Changes caused by AMD are often only noticed when they reach extremely severe, difficult to treat levels.

Regular doctor screenings are important for anyone over 40, but between those, try taking an Amsler grid test. Amsler grids are simple visual tests consisting of a dot placed in the middle of a network of vertical and horizontal lines. To take the test, hold the grid at reading distance from your face (a foot or slightly farther), cover one eye, then look at the dot at the center of the grid. Healthy eyes will simply see an unchanged grid, but for those with AMD, the grid may look distorted or incomplete. If you notice wavy or missing lines, it’s time to consult an ophthalmologist before your condition advances.

Check Your Color Vision

Color blindness is an awful lot more common than most people would believe. As many as 10 percent of males have been estimated to have the condition, with Caucasions being more at risk than other ethnicities. Women are dramatically less likely to be colorblind, but should still consider taking a quick test.

One of the oldest, best-established tests for colorblindness is the Ishihara tests. These colorful plates have long been used to screen for various forms of colorblindness. You’ve likely seen one before – they consist of a number of differently colored dots. Some will form a numeral visible to fully color perceptive eyes, but often indistinguishable from the background for people with a given form of colorblindness.

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With the right tools for a vision-enhancing diet, you can naturally improve your eyesight in no time!

About Orlin Sorensen

My vision started to get blurry as a young teenager. Soon I was wearing glasses for just about everything. This was a hard blow for me because I had always dreamed of becoming a U.S. Navy fighter pilot which required perfect vision without glasses or surgery. But I wasn't ready to give up on my dreams, so I looked into every possible alternative which led me to eye exercises. Through daily vision training and eye exercises, I improved my vision from 20/85 to 20/20 and passed the Navy's visual acuity test. In fact Men's Health declared this one of the "Greatest Comebacks of All Time!" Now, I'm sharing exactly how I did it with the program that helped me so people like you can improve your vision safely and naturally, without glasses, contacts or laser surgery.

About Us

Founded in 2002, Rebuild Your Vision focuses strictly on researching and developing vision health supplements. As a recognized leader in the field, we are dedicated to continuing our quest of helping people protect and preserve their vision.